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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 9, 2008)
Slight Decrease Jazzy Vibes Oregon gas prices have dropped ever so slightly. The price fo r regular hit a record high on July 3 at $4.29, before falling Tuesday to a statewide average o f $4.28. Blues artist Catherine Russell to bring her saucy smile and jazz chops to the Oregon Zoo Summer Concert Series. see inside, page A 7 ‘City of Roses' Established In 1970 www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXVIII. Number 27 Wednesday • July 9. 2008 .Week in The Review Obama Picks Stadium for Nomination Speech Barack O bam a will accept the Dem ocratic presi d en tial n o m in a tio n d u rin g a speech Aug. 28 at Invesco Field at M ile H ig h , a 7 6 ,0 0 0 -se at s ta dium and home to the Denver Bron cos. The venue was preferred over D enver’s Pepsi C enter, the site o f the D em ocratic Party Convention. See story, page A2. Rosa Parks’ Belongings will go to Auction A probate court ju d g e in D etroit h a s a s k e d an auction house to find a b u y er - preferably a m u seum , university o r other institution - for thou sands o f personal items from the estate o f civil rights icon Rosa Parks. See sto ry , page A3. Iraq Wants Pullout Timeline Iraqi officials stepped up pressure on the U nited States on Tuesday to agree to a specific tim eline to w ithdraw A m erican forces, a sign o f the governm ent's growing co n fidence as violence falls. Dubious Home Lending Targeted The Federal Reserve wi11 issue new rules next week aim ed at protect ing future hom ebuyers from dubi ous lending practices, its m ost sw eeping response to a housing crisis that has propelled foreclo sures to record highs. Venus Retains Title V enus W illiam s beat her younger sister Serena in straight sets Sat urday to retain her W im bledon tennis title and win her seventh Grand Slam championship. Venus, 2 8 , d e f e a te d Serena 7 -5 ,6 -4 to becom e the first w om an to repeat as cham pion at the All England Clubin southw est London since her sis ter in 2003. It's her fifth Wimbledon crown. Vick Files for Bankruptcy F o rm er A m eri can football star M ic h a e l V ick filed for ban k ruptcy at a U.S. B a n k ru p tc y C o u rt M onday, seeking C h a p te r 11 p ro tectio n and citin g debts betw een $10 m illion and $50 million. Neglected Woman Dies on Hospital Floor A N ew York City Hospital has agreed to im plem ent reform s at a psychiatric ward w here surveil lance footage show ed her fall from a chair, withering on the floor and dying as w orkers failed to help her for more than an hour. See story, page A9. Hurricane Bertha Weakens Forecasters say H urricane Bertha has w eakened to a C ategory 1 storm. Tuesday, the center o f the storm was about 620 miles east- northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 900 miles south east o f Bermuda. ycaï s of •^community service photo by M ark Field „f Dreams The Little League Urban Initiative, the Portland Park and Recreation Department, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and the Portland Beavers, have collaborated on a field revitalization project for the Penin sula Little League, serving inner north and northeast Portland. “Peninsula is a deserving recipient,” said Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer o f Little League Baseball and Softball. “ It has done an outstanding jo b at providing a quality Little League program for the children W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Peninsula Little League players, coaches and supporters gather for the dedication o f a state- of-the-art baseball field at Lillis Albina Park a t North Flint Avenue and Russell Street. Inner city youth draw support and adults o f this com m unity.” A dedication cerem ony was recently held at Lillis A lbina Park to unveil the im provem ents m ade by Portland Parks that include a new grass infield and mesh fence on the backstop, irrigation system, outfield fencing, renovation o f the dug- out area, and installation o f bleacher seat ing, a concession trailer, batting cage and pitching machine. "T o us as coaches and volunteers, the renovation is more than a grass infield, a fence and a hatting cage,” Mary Dunn, president o f Peninsula Little League, said. “We believe that the activity level o f our Little League is a barom eter that reflects the health and spirit o f the com m unity. The Little League Urban Initiative is a great program that helps to lift the spirit and morale o f volunteers w orking with innercity youths. From talking with other leagues that are part o f the Urban Initia tive, it is apparent to me that Little League is having a m ajor impact on urban life.” The costs o f renovations and improve ments to the Peninsula Little League field totaled $150,000. A portion of the Little League Urban Initiative'scontribution was made possible by the donation provided through the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The Little League Urban Initiative pro vides assistance packages for eligible leagues that aid the local volunteer group with equipm ent acquisition, capital im provem ent cash grants, field im prove ment and renovation, access to Little League Baseball and Softball education and training program s, advocacy, and networking. Apparel Designer Achieves Trend Status Tony Haynes keeps it ‘bubbly’ by R aymond R endi . eman T he P ortland O bserver T ony H a y n e s’ sh irt co m p an y has com e a long w ay since its in cep tio n eight years ago, but the local e n tre p re n e u r's co n cep t has rem ained the sam e. H aynes started out m aking T -sh irts w ith p ress-on m aterials out o f his n o rth east P ortland house, and now his b u si ness, B ubbly B ubbly W how ear, has an o ffice and prin t shop at the R oseland T heatre dow ntow n. All the w ay th ro u g h , his m ission has involved in sertin g the w ord “ b u b b le” into various catch phrases. "G et y o u r rest and be B ubbly fre sh ” is an ex am p le o f one T- shirt slogan he has created. H aynes has a social ratio n ale for c re a t ing hu n d red s o f slo g an s using the “ bub- continued on page A3 Shirt company designer Tony Haynes brings his positive message and line o f apparel to the Good in the Neighborhood celebration. Mosquito Season Warning West Nile Virus still a concern . Heard the buzz? M osquito sea son is here and public health o ffi cials want to rem ind residents that m osquitoes can transm it a num ber o f diseases, including W est Nile Virus. W est N ile has had a presen ce in O regon since 2004, and last year C la c k a m a s C o u n ty , M ultnom ah C o u n ty , W a sh in g ton C o u n ty , and C lark C ounty all had co n firm ed cases w here birds w ere infected. T he sp read o f the virus is u n p r e d ic ta b le ; h o w e v e r, tre n d s th r o u g h o u t th e c o u n try h av e show n a sig n ifican t increase of ca se s in su b seq u en t years o f the v iru s. W es, N ile V irus is carried by in fected m osquitoes. It can cause serio u s illn ess in som e people and horses. M o squitoes becom e in fected w hen they feed on in fected birds o f the C o rv id fam ily, such as ravens, cro w s, ja y s and m agpies. T he m o sq u ito can then transm it the infection to hum ans and anim als by biting them . You cannot get the virus from ano th er person o r anim al. M ost people w ho b ecom e in fected w ith the W est N ile V irus do not becom e ill. O nly about 20 percent dev elo p W est N ile fever, w hich features fever, headache, body aches, and o ccasio n ally a rash on the trunk o f the body and sw ollen lymph glands. Sym ptom s b egin 3-14 d ay s after the bite o f an infected m osquito and in c ase s o f m ild d isease last a few days. P e o p le w ith q u e s tio n s a b o u t W N V sym ptom s should call their h ealth care provider. O nly about one o u, o f 150 o f th o se w ho becom e infected d e v elo p s a severe infection know n as W est N ile en cep h alitis or m en in g itis. S ym ptom s o f a severe in fec tio n can in c lu d e h ea d ach e, high fever, neck stiffn ess, stu por, d iso rie n tatio n , com a, tre m o rs, co n v u lsio n s, m uscle w eak ness and p araly sis. S ym p to m s o f severe d isease m ay last several w eeks, alth o u g h som e brain and nerve d am ag e m ay be perm anent. T here is no effec tiv e treatm ent for W N V in fectio n o th e r than su p p o rtiv e m edical care. There are no vaccinations for humans, but vaccinations are avail able for horses. H orse ow ners should contact their veterinarians for more information. There are two basic prevention strategies: reducing the mosquito population and avoiding mosquito bites. T he best way to reduce the continued on page A2 « A